While visiting my in-laws in western Kentucky over Mother’s Day weekend, I happened to see twice-former Red 3b Wayne Krenchicki being interviewed on an Evansville, IN, television station.
Krenchicki is now the manager of the Evansville Otters, an independent team in the Frontier League. My oldest’s son’s first private hitting instructor used to catch for the Otters (he’s now the bullpen catcher for the Louisville Bats).
The Reds thought so much of Krenchicki, they traded for him twice. He was the player to be named later when the Reds dealt pitcher Paul Moskau to the Baltimore Orioles. The Reds used him as a lefty pinch hitter for a year before trading him to the Detroit Tigers for lefty pitcher Pat Underwood. Underwood was sent to the minors and promptly lost to the Texas Rangers in the 1983 Rule 5 draft.
The Rangers didn’t want Underwood and released him before the 1984 season (which means the Reds didn’t want him either since the Rangers would have had to offer back to the Reds first.). Meanwhile, after a year in exile in Detroit, the Reds purchased Krenchicki back from the Tigers. Krenchicki spent two productive years as a part-time regular with the Reds before being dealt to the Expos for Norm Charlton.
This is Krenchicki’s first year as manager for the Otters.